Macau (澳门)

The purpose of the second visit was to see my relatives here. Visiting and hanging out with family is still the best part of every trip to Macau, hopefully every visit will have the same effect. Macau is an extremely unique place since it’s culture, architecture, and language has Portuguese, Mandarin, and Cantonese influences. Hence, the visual, audio, and to the extent of a “spiritual” effect that Macau has on its visitors are one of a kind.

“The Ruins of St. Paul’s refer to the façade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640 and the ruins of St. Paul’s College, which stood adjacent to the Church, both destroyed by fire in 1835. As a whole, the old Church of Mater Dei, St. Paul’s College and Mount Fortress were all Jesuit constructions and formed what can be perceived as the Macao’s “acropolis”.

The upper levels gradually narrow into a triangular pediment at the top, which symbolizes the ultimate state of divine ascension – the Holy Spirit. The façade is mannerist in style carrying some distinctively oriental decorative motifs. The sculptured motifs of the façade include biblical images, mythological representations, Chinese characters, Japanese chrysanthemums, a Portuguese ship, several nautical motifs, Chinese lions, bronze statues with images of the founding Jesuit saints of the Company of Jesus and other elements that integrate influences from Europe, China and other parts of Asia, in an overall composition that reflects a fusion of world, regional and local influences. Nowadays, the façade of the Ruins of St. Paul’s functions symbolically as an altar to the city”

“The square is so named as since Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) it has been in front of the Leal Senado Building. During the era of Portuguese control this is where the local authorities used to review the troops on their inaugurations. In 1940, there was a statue of a Portuguese soldier named Mesquita in its centre. He was responsible for the deaths of many Chinese soldiers during the hostilities with the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Understandably, the statue has been destroyed by Chinese people and replaced by a fountain; this is why the square is also called “the Fountain”.
In the early 1990s, the authority hired some Portuguese experts to pave the square with a wave-patterned mosaic of colored stones. From then on this area has become a popular place for cultural activities in Macau. The buildings around the Senado Square have a long history and have many western features, so they have been well protected by the authority and no one is allowed to alter the facades of these buildings.”

Penha Hill is the third highest among the hills in Macau. Penha Hill is 62.7 meters above sea plane. Known as the Bishop´s Hill in the annals of colonial history, this leader amongst the popular destinations in Macau is identical with the city’s colonial clout and authority. Forts, buildings, residences of the Penha hill are wonderful sights.

Macau’s tall ranked officials, socialites and the famous ones reside at Bishop´s Hill. This makes Penha Hill become one of must-see sights in Macau.

There is a Church named The Penha Church on crest of the hill dates back to 1622. It was built by a group of Augustinian followers and dedicated to Our Lady of Penha. Existence of this monument in fact named Penha Hill as Bishop’s Hill.